The semiconductor industry has experienced a rapid growth in the area of integrated circuits (ICs). Advancements in microelectronics related to wireless communication devices have been a driving force behind the need to improve performance and reduce the cost of IC packaging. The semiconductor industry has employed several strategies to meet the rapidly growing demands for improved IC packaging. One approach has been to provide an IC package in a die up configuration, such as overmolded plastic pad array carriers (OMPAC). OMPACs have been used for decades to provide a low cost solution for IC packages that require high interconnect density. However, on-chip wireless communication elements often cannot be implemented in OMPACs.
In recent years, another approach has included the use of a die down IC package configuration that includes an antenna attached to the top surface of a substrate. This die down IC package configuration, however has higher design cost and added complexity. Additionally, OMPACs and other device packages suffer from poor thermal dissipation and poor electromagnetic radiation protection. Performance can be compromised because ideal design requirements for wireless communication elements and IC dies are often at odds.
The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawing in which an element first appears is typically indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.